There was a big upset in the US Open men’s draw. Taylor Fritz lost to Francisco Cerundolo despite leading by two sets. Flavio Cobolli also bowed out of the Alexander Block, while top seed Alexander Zverev made the last-16.
US Open 2026: The men’s singles draw saw several major upsets in the first week. Ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz was eliminated from the tournament after losing a five-set match against 24th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina despite taking a two-set lead. Shortly thereafter, Italy’s fifth seed Flavio Coboli was defeated by Belgium’s Alexandre Blox and was eliminated from the race for the last-16. At the same time, Germany’s top seed Alexander Zverev won his match and made it to the last 16. Zverev defeated 25th seed Alejandro Tabillo of Chile in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz lost after two sets lead
American player Taylor Fritz was in a strong position from the beginning of the match. He strengthened his hold on the match by winning the first two sets 6-3, 6-4.
Fritz had taken an early lead in the third set also. It seemed that he would easily reach the next round, but after this the course of the match completely changed.
Francisco Cerundolo made a brilliant comeback to win the third set 6-3. Even in the fourth set, the Argentine player maintained the pressure and won the set 6-4 and took the match to the decisive fifth set.
Cerundolo maintained his confidence even in the fifth set and won the match 6-4. In this way he defeated Fritz 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Fritz said – I don’t understand how this happened
Fritz could not hide his disappointment after the defeat. He admitted that he could not understand how he lost the match after taking a two-set lead.
Fritz said he doesn’t have much to say at the moment and he wants to stay away from everyone for a few days and work on his game again.
He said that he could not understand how the match slipped out of his hands that day.
This defeat is also disappointing for Fritz because he had reached the final of the US Open at Flushing Meadows in 2024. This time he was trying to become the fifth American male player to reach the fourth round, but Cerundolo ended his hopes.
Serundolo’s big win
The win against Fritz is an important achievement for Francisco Cerundolo. The 24th-seeded Argentinian showed his mental strength and ability to bounce back by winning three consecutive sets after trailing by two sets.
Cerundolo will now face 28th seed Alexandre Bloix of Belgium in the fourth round. This match between the two players will be for a place in the quarter finals.
Koboli also got defeated
Less than an hour after Fritz’s defeat, there was another major upset in the men’s draw. Fifth seed Flavio Coboli of Italy was defeated by Alexandre Blox of Belgium.
Koboli put up a good challenge at the beginning of the match and won the first set 7-6 (7-4) in the tie-break. However, after this the Blocks gained control of the match.
The Belgian player leveled the score by winning the second set 6-3. The Blokes completely dominated the third set and won 6-0. He won the match by winning 6-3 in the fourth set.
With the win, Blox advanced to the fourth round, where he will now face Cerundolo, who defeated Fritz.
Alexander Zverev saved his place
While top players like Fritz and Koboli faced defeat, top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany kept up his challenge.
Zverev defeated 25th seed Alejandro Tabillo of Chile 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.
Zverev won the first set 6–2. Tabilo gave a tough fight in the second set, but Zverev won the tie-break 7-2 to take a two-set lead. In the third set he again finished the match by winning 6-2.
With this victory, Zverev confirmed his place in the last 16 of men’s singles.
There is still hope for American players
A lot of expectations are being placed from American male tennis players in this year’s US Open. World number one Jannik Sinner is out of the tournament due to injury, while Carlos Alcaraz is also making a recent comeback after battling a long-term wrist injury.
In such a situation, the hope had increased that a local player could win the men’s singles title on American soil after a long time.
The last US Open title in men’s singles for America was won by Andy Roddick 23 years ago. This time, despite Fritz being out, the American challenge has not ended completely.
Five American players are still in the race
Despite Fritz’s exit, Americans Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Alex Michelson and Lerner Tian remain in the tournament.
American fans will now keep an eye on the performance of these players. After Fritz’s defeat, both pressure and expectations on these players may increase.
Unexpected results from the top seeds in the first week of the US Open have made the men’s singles draw more open. The defeats of Fritz and Koboli have created an opportunity for new players in the lower half to step up, while Zverev has kept his title challenge strong.
Now the clash between Cerundolo and Blox in the fourth round will be under special attention. Both have made it to the last-16 by defeating the top seeded players in the third round and now their eyes will be on the quarter-finals.